The Guardian Public Services Awards 2013 are now open for entries.
The awards celebrate best practice and empowering leadership across Whitehall, local government, the NHS and beyond. We want to recognise the innovative ways that public servants are responding to today's challenging environment and to reward the teams and projects which have made a positive impact on people's lives.
The judges will be looking for examples of successful teamwork, ambition for improvement and proof of effective change that could be replicated elsewhere.
Last year Cindy Hunt, a school-support worker in the Carmarthenshire Youth Service took home the public servant of the year award for transforming the lives of disadvantaged children.
Derrick Anderson was named public leader of the year for reviving the fortunes of south London's troubled Lambeth council in his role as chief executive, and the City of York council won the community engagement project award for creating an innovative brainstorming website for residents and local businesses.
The nine categories for this year are as follows:
• Measuring excellence
• Grassroots excellence
• Digital excellence
• Communications excellence
• Financial excellence
• Partnership excellence
• HR excellence
• Public servant of the year
• Leadership excellence (formerly public leader of the year)
Entries in all categories other than public servant of the year must be on behalf of a team, and should relate to a specific project. The winners in each category will have their achievements showcased on the Public Leaders Network's best practice exchange, where there will also be in-depth profiles of both the shortlisted candidates and the winners.
The awards are open to all organisations which commission or deliver public services, whether in the public, private or voluntary sector. This includes local and central government, non-departmental public bodies, health, housing, transport, charities, social enterprises, community bodies and private companies delivering public services.
To enter, fill in the online form at guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards by 12 July 2013.
• Want your say? Email us at public.leaders@guardian.co.uk.
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